Google unveils Ironwood, its seventh-generation TPU chip delivering 42.5 exaflops of AI compute power — 24x more than the world's fastest supercomputer — ushering in the "age of inference."Read More

The Xbox Games Showcase returns on June 8 | News-in-brief This year's post-show game spotlight goes to The Outer Worlds 2 from Obsidian Image credit: Xbox News by Samuel Roberts Editorial Director Published on April 9, 2025 This is a News-in-brief article, our short format linking to an official source for more information. Read more about this story by following the link below: Microsoft has announced that its annual Xbox Games Showcase will take place on June 8, 2025

Horror game developer Bloober Team stands at a key inflection point. Riding high off the critical and commercial success of the remake of Konami's Silent Hill 2, the studio is in the process of finishing work on Cronos: The New Dawn, an ambitious time traveling survival horror game of far greater scale than any of their previous original games. It's grown to over 250 developers and has joined the ranks of larger triple-A studios now investing 4-5 years in each development cycle.Experienced developers know this is a uniquely challenging moment for companies making single-player games. One major driver of the massive game industry layoffs of the last year has been a series of stumbles at studios that grew too fast after making a hit game. Positive cash flow and healthy coffers unfortunately aren't enough to promise stability.And yet stability is what CEO Piotr Babieno says he's searching for. In an interview with Game Developer at the 2025 Game Developers Conference, the head of the studio known for making games featuring characters grappling with mental illness explained some of his thinking for leading a healthy workplace."The most important thing," he said, "is to create a safe environment. Every single decision I make is not just about if the business is good, but if we'll be able to take care of the 250 people in the studio, and their families as well."Related:It's a surprising value to hear from a CEO in the year 2025, when many are choosing to talk about going all-in on AI or publicly criticizing their own employees about their games not having an "edge." So what precisely, does Babieno define as a "safe environment?Keeping your studio "safe" is a tremendous challengeThe word "safe" takes on a whole new meaning for a Polish game studio in the 2020s. Not only are the typical struggles of game development a day-to-day challenge, but, like many, Bloober had to learn about the realities of making games remotely in the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally the country is nervously watching developments over the border in neighboring Ukraine, where Russia's invasion sparks concerns over a broader response that could draw in NATO. With game development cycles for games like Silent Hill 2 and the upcoming Cronos: The New Dawn running about 5 years, the decisions Babieno makes have huge ripple effects.Russia's invasion seems to be top of mind for Babieno, who explained that Bloober employs developers who hail from Russia and Ukraine—both of whom had to relocate given the circumstances of the war. The studio was also one of the first to publicly halt sales of its games in Russia—not out of spite for the Russian people, Babieno said, but because the company did not want to contribute tax revenue to the government's coffers which could drive spending on its invasion.Related:"Games should connect us rather than make [barriers] between countries or between fans," he said. "I feel we are doing everything we can to support our fans all over the world, but we will never support people who are destroying our world and making horrors bigger than we are able deliver [in our games]."Image via Bloober Team.But that's a very high level issue. Day-to-day, Babieno said he's grappling with the same things many developers at his company (and around the world) struggle with: self-imposed crunch. "I'm not a good example," he admitted, describing the feeling of wanting to work longer hours because of "passion" for a project. "We are trying to support our team as much as we can and sometimes will increase the time of development if needed to create a good game."Bloober apparently also connects employees with psychologists in and around the company to access mental health support (and considering their games are about psychological horror, perhaps some consulting on the topic), but Babieno said regular messaging about "having your own life" is the "first" step in creating that environment.Related:On the topic of depicting mental health in games—we've heard from developers over the years that sometimes researching real-world injuries, be they physical or mental, can sometimes have a psychological shock of its own. Babieno said he hasn't seen that happen at Bloober, in part because the studio is deliberate about what topics it tackles. "When we are creating a new title, there's always the question of 'what would we like to add to the conversation,'" he said, adding that these topics are meant to encourage "judgment-free" debate on the team.It's the "planning" stage that Babieno seemed to circle back to in our conversation. If you want to better understand the company releasing Cronos: The New Dawn in 2025, you need to go all the way back... to 2019.Cronos shows the strategic scaling of Bloober's headcountTrack the arc of Bloober's lineup from 2015 all the way through Cronos and you'll see a fairly steady increase in game scope going from Layers of Fear, through Observer, past The Medium, and all the way through Silent Hill 2. This was deliberate, said Babieno, and followed a strategic decision in 2015 to commit to horror games. When the company had fewer employees, it focused in on narrative experiences buoyed by environmental storytelling, and scaled up to include more action and player navigation, now seen in the combat-heavy Cronos."Because of this, it was a natural step to increase the team and increase the scope of our games," he said, noting that the studio has picked up "more fans" because of this. He echoed a common refrain you hear from indie and triple-A studios, that the company is in business to make high-quality games, not just turn a profit. It does seem the company communicates to its workers that they have to make solid decisions as early as possible, because when they do, they're locking into a long commitment they can't easily get out of."When we are talking about what will be next, it has to be something we would like to work on for the next five years...to spend a big part of our life to create something unusual."Those kinds of impactful decisions can include something as fundamental as setting. Cronos is the second game from Bloober set in the studio's native Poland, a decision that doesn't seem so unusual in 2025 but Babienbo said in the beginning, it was a really risky call when trying to make a game that appeals to a global audience. "That was the conversation in the Polish game industry," he recalled. "That we shouldn't make games in Poland because it might not sell as well as if you made a game set in the United States."Developers in other regions might feel buoyed by Babieno's words, as he said the "act locally and think globally" approach has paid off. Developers at the studio have an opportunity to be "faithful" to their homeland but also embrace the "trust" of players that they'll be curious enough to embrace that faith and explore new kinds of horrors in a land they may never have visited.He tossed out the idea that Bloober could make a game set in San Francisco (itself beset by the horrors of the tech industry), but it would never be as good as one made by people living in the United States.None of what Babieno described in our conversation should be seen as easy or simple. It's common knowledge that in today's market, just making a good game isn't enough to sustain a business, and you can put "we don't crunch" in your company values all you want, but you might look up one day and realize your whole team has worked until 9PM out of love for the game. Taking on the mantle of leadership is about setting yourself up to make hard decisions. "If you would like to have advice, don't run a game studio because maybe it could kill you" Babieno joked.But Babieno—and Bloober—are still here, still alive and standing in the tough environment of 2025. Perhaps for however difficult the road has been, seeing his job as being about "protecting" his workers may be the kind of principle that could help other studios endure these difficult times.Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa.

The Last of Us’ second season hasn’t even debuted yet, but Warner Bros. Discovery renewed the show for a third season. The company hasn’t shared details about when the third season may air or how many episodes it might be. The second season’s first episode debuts on Sunday on HBO and Max. Season 2 is only 7 episodes long, a bit shorter than season 1’s 9-episode run, but it won’t cover all of The Last of Us Part II, as co-creator Craig Mazin explained in an interview last year. “We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — Season 3 will be significantly larger,” Mazin said to Deadline. “And indeed, the story may require Season 4.” My colleague Andrew Webster reviewed season 2 for The Verge, calling it “a brutal, bloody expansion of the game.”

Today we have a new Humble Bundle of interest to game developers, the Epic Adventures Asset Mega Pack. This is a collection of assets redeemed on the Fab marketplace for Unreal Engine (with a touch of Unity assets thrown in) including 3D environments, characters, vehicles, props and … dinosaurs. While the assets are for Unreal Engine they can be exported to other engines or tools such as Godot or Blender using the guides available below. As with most Humble Bundles the Epic Adventures Asset Mega Pack is organized into tiers: 1$ Tier Critters VOL.1 – Bees Wasps Flies (Nanite and Low Poly w/Particle) Bones VOL.2 – Human Bones (Nanite + Low Poly)Ancient Ruins – VOL.1 (Nanite)Mid Tier 1970 Office Environment Suburban Houses- VOL.1Knives VOL.3 – Tactical (4K Textured FPS Tactical Knives)NPC Sailor (Adventure)Sniper SoldierAmbulance – DrivablePolice Car – DrivableZombie – Army SoldierSurvival NPC – Michael “Mike” DaviesCeratosaurus Lite VersionStegosaurusCamping and Outdoor Adventure VOL.125$ Tier Mediterranean Island Pack (Island Environment – Pine Forest Island – Forest) Survival Forest Cabin Bundle (Survival Environment, Forest House, Log House)Battlefield Kit – Desert Environment (Military, Warzone Village)Barnyard Megapack (Barn, Barn Props, Farm Environment)Procedural Vehicles – UteProcedural Vehicles – 4WDProcedural Vehicles – Station WagonProcedural Vehicles – Sports CarModular Temple Building Pack (Historical Temple, Fantasy Temple , Architecture)UtahRaptorWyvern Rex Lite VersionBrachiosaurus SauropodAdventure Characters (Pack)Barbarian RPGFemale Soldiers (Pack)Military PackUnderwater odysseyNordic Medieval TavernHigh School Basketball Gym – (Day/Night/Afternoon/Midnight Lighting)Military Training FacilityYou can learn more about the Epic Adventures Asset Mega Pack in the video below. Using links on this page help support GFS (and thanks so much if you do!). If you are interested in getting these assets into other game engines, check out our various guides available here:

Nintendo GameCube is coming to Nintendo Switch Online alongside the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, with a classic controller on the way too. But some small print indicates that Nintendo's new GameCube controller for the Switch 2 may only, officially, be meant for GameCube use.Spotted in the details of the UK version of the Switch 2 GameCube controller trailer (thanks, VGC), a statement read: "The controller is only compatible with Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics." This would indicate the GameCube controller is only going to work properly when playing GameCube games on the Switch 2 Online Expansion Pack, and not other Switch 2 games.PlayAs VGC notes, it's worth considering that other Nintendo controllers with similar disclaimers have not been fully limited. Players have been able to make retro controllers work where applicable. Also, the same disclaimer isn't there in the Nintendo of America version of the trailer.It's still interesting, given the classic GameCube controller has enough buttons to manage many common gameplay inputs on the Switch 2. It could be a case of setting expectations, or trying to avoid frustrations if someone, say, tries to use their GameCube controller like a mouse.Even if this particular GameCube controller isn't your jam, Nintendo has confirmed the GameCube Controller adapter will work with the Switch 2 dock via USB port. Those who picked up the adapter back in the Wii U days are certainly getting some mileage out of the accessory.     The Classic GameCube controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 is planned to go live at launch with the new console, but the exact date those go up for pre-order hasn't been announced yet. Pre-orders have been on shaky ground as U.S. tariffs have introduced a fair bit of chaos.It's a major update to the Nintendo Switch Online library that will grant subscribers access to a laundry list of classic 2000s-era titles, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2, which will all be available at launch this summer. Of course, this library will be expanded upon in the years to come, with some teased titles including Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Strikers, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more.If you're looking to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2, GameCube controller, or other accessories and games, make sure to keep an eye on our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order hub, which will stay updated with news and info.Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

It’s no secret that the world has been feeling a bit unpredictable lately. In the wake of President Trump’s higher-than-expected tariffs, Goldman Sachs has reportedly increased the probability of the United States falling into a recession in the next 12 months from 35 percent to 45 percent. Facing the unknown (and/or economic free-fall) is scary, and one way to cope is to find comfort where you can. For us, that typically revolves around the home. Like nail polish and lipstick, which continue to sell well during economic downturns, there are items in the home decor industry that could be defined as recession-proof. Designer Louis Duncan-He calls these “the small comforts—little shifts that offer big emotional returns without blowing the budget.” These are typically pieces that don’t cost an arm and a leg and are easy to obtain, which makes it easy to get that dopamine hit. Below, find 12 recession-proof design items that designers call out for bringing a bit of life into the home without breaking the bank.Related StoriesTextilesMary Craven DawkinsDesigner Yancey Shearouse used a vibrant and fun textile for this tablecloth, finishing it off with a pom-pom trim.“My number one purchase to bring a little light into my home when the budget is tight is textiles,” says designer Sam Sacks. She credits their versatility and liveliness for being recession-proof. Plus, you can typically find certain textiles on sale—think new sheets at big box stores and discount retailers. But you can get more fanciful and decorative with your textile purchases, too, opting to buy fabrics for mood-lifting decor rather than practical items such as towels or sheets. Sacks says, “Etsy is a fantastic resource for textiles like Turkish suzanis and Moroccan kilims, which can be used to drape a table, bring drama to the back of a sofa, or to reinvent your bedroom by using them as a bedspread.”ArtworkMatt SartainIn this room designed by Alison Pickart and Katy Polsby, this simple art piece breaks up the busy wallpaper.Though it might not immediately sound like it, art is recession-proof, according to three different designers we asked. “Art prints are a designer’s secret weapon. Personal, affordable, and they instantly elevate the vibe of any room,” Steven Graffam of Stivale Graffam Home insists. These pieces don't need to be expensive, as Duncan-He points out; anything that simply catches your eye can be a meaningful piece of art. Art can bring so much joy to your space, as well as elevate it by adding depth and texture. —JENNIFER HUNTER OF JENNIFER HUNTER DESIGNWallpaperMatt SartainWith a wallpaper this playful, you don't necessarily need to add art on the walls. Designed by Alison Pickart and Katy Polsby.“Wallpaper is the slightly more daring cousin of art—and a fantastic way to play with pattern, texture, and color in a focused way,” Duncan-He says. Whether you choose to put up traditional wallpaper or peel-and-stick for a more affordable option, this design choice is a great way to change up the aesthetic of your home without costing too much.CandlesMary Craven DawkinsYancey Shearouse added color in even the smallest details, like these uniquely shaped candles.Candles are by far the most mentioned recession-proof decor item that designers called out, and it’s because they can be found in any price range and add so much to your home’s ambiance. “A candle illuminates not just a room, but also the spirit; it sparks joy and soothes the soul in times of uncertainty,” designer Kimberley Harrison says. “It invites moments of reflection and peace that transform any space into a personal sanctuary.”Along with the aesthetically pleasing flickering candlelight, these items also emit a pleasing scent, which designer Meghan Jay says can help a person relax and find serenity—ideal in times of stress. Related StoryHouseplantsCorey SzopinskiThe houseplants in these terracotta pots take up empty space in this living room designed by Amy Pigliacampo, while reinforcing the earthy color scheme.Handmade bouquets and brilliant houseplants are another way to add life, color, and ambiance into your home for little money. Flowers elevate and bring joy to a space, as Hunter points out, and green houseplants allow in freshness and can make a room feel more inviting, Graffam says. Even faux greenery can help refresh your home, and you don’t have to worry about these plants dying on you if you don't have a green thumb. “Both live and artificial plants are typically low-cost ways to enhance home decor, providing a sense of serenity and connection to nature that is especially valuable during stressful times,” Harrison explains. Related StoryBar WareBrie WilliamsBy using glassware of different colors and styles, designer Rajni Alex created a more interesting bar space.Add a touch of magic to your gatherings (since it’s about to be too expensive to go out to eat anymore) with fun cocktail glasses and barware. Harrison says, “In a recession, these affordable pieces allow people to transform their home entertaining experience without the cost of dining out, making it easier to host enjoyable get-togethers with family and friends.” Vibrant glasses, unique bottle openers, elegant cocktail picks—these practical and fun items don't have to be expensive to add charm to your home bar.Vintage PiecesMargaret AustinThe vintage pieces you choose to display in your home don't have to be large—the team at Anderson Wier Studio gave this built-in plenty of bookshelf wealth with these smaller antiques.Thrifting and shopping for vintage pieces is a great way to save on money while still getting good quality items. John Stivale, the other half of Stivale Graffam Home, says he likes to shop for smaller vintage decor pieces, such as barware. “Fun cocktail shakers, quirky glasses—these gems not only spice up your drinks but spark conversation too,” he explains. These types of pieces can be found in any price range, and you never know: They may just become your new favorite items on your bar cart. Related StoriesThrow BlanketsEmily J FollowillDesigner Ashley Gilbreath added the throw blanket on the back of this couch for a bright pop of color.Throw blankets add comfort and style to any space, and buying one is easier to justify when money is tight because of the comfort it brings and the amount of use you get out of it. Stivale suggests sticking with natural fabrics, like cotton, wool, or linen, in neutral tones because they add warmth without the weight and provide a calming vibe while blending seamlessly with your other decor. A throw blanket is a small, inexpensive item that adds both comfort and style to a space. —MEGHAN JAY OF MEGHAN JAY DESIGN Throw PillowsRikki SnyderIn this living room designed by Becca Interiors, the throw pillows add dimension and additional tones.“Never underestimate the power of a well-chosen cushion,” Duncan-He explains. From couch cushions to throw pillows, a plush cushion in a beautiful fabric can reinvigorate your space. There are plenty of stunning off-the-shelf options out there, but you might also choose to spend a little bit more on a custom option to capture the cozy or elegant vibe you desire. Lamp ShadesChristopher DelaneyWithout this fun lampshade, this bedside table by Doreen Chambers would look a little flat.Every little detail matters when you’re trying to refresh your space, especially when you’re on a tight budget. Stivale says that switching out your lampshade is an affordable way to play with your decor. There are so many different sizes, styles, and colors you can find when shopping for lampshades—“it’s a small tweak that makes a big impact,” he adds.Small BowlsKirsten FrancisThough the small bowls on this shelf by Kerri Pilchik are purple decorative, they're so easy to move around if the homeowner so desired.Small, decorative bowls are recession-proof, according to Harrison. “Whether filled with nuts, jewelry, or simply left to enhance a shelf, these bowls serve as an invitation to pause and appreciate the little things that bring comfort and charm to our daily lives,” she says. They’re versatile and sit at a low price point, making them very accessible for those who wish to add more detail to their decor but also have budget constraints.PaintBenedetto RebeccaThe paint color does the talking in this living room designed by Charles Cohen Designs.It’s not a decor item per se, but a fresh coat of paint can immediately switch up the vibe of your home, giving each room a new look for little cost. Jay points out that this recession-proof home project is even more affordable when you complete it yourself. “Suddenly, existing furniture picks up new undertones and everything feels refreshed,” Duncan-He says. “One can of paint, whole new vibe.” Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

Apple released iOS 18.4 for iPhone users last week. The update included Priority Notifications, new emoji, an Ambient Music feature, and more. Now, the company is working on iOS 18.4.1 as a bug fix update. iOS 18.4.1 coming soon Evidence of iOS 18.4.1 has recently surfaced in analytics data for 9to5Mac and our friends at MacRumors. This indicates that Apple is ramping up testing of the update before releasing it to the public. The update could come as soon as this week. There’s no word on what will be new with iOS 18.4.1, but the update will focus on bug fixes and other performance optimizations. For example, some iPhone users have reported major problems with CarPlay since updating to iOS 18.4 last week. On Reddit, other iPhone users say battery life and thermal performance are also worse on iOS 18.4 than on iOS 18.3.2. Some users say the update also restored previously deleted apps on their iPhone. Are you experiencing any bugs since updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4 last week? Let us know down in the comments. iOS 18.5 is also in beta testing, though it doesn’t include any major changes. My favorite iPhone accessories: Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.  Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

House Democrats are investigating SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's glaring conflict of interest — and specifically whether he's using his immense sway over NASA to enrich himself.In a letter sent to NASA's chief legal officer, Iris Lan, representatives Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) and Gery Connolly (D-VA) requested information and documents to prove that Musk wasn't exploiting his influence over the agency to hand himself and his businesses government contracts, Axios reports.Critics have pointed out that as the CEO of SpaceX — already one of NASA's largest private contractors — Musk could easily abuse access to information about his competitors in the space industry to give himself an unfair advantage.Key members of Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has overseen the gutting of several government agencies, have been given "unrestricted physical access, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, to NASA facilities, including the NASA Administrator’s suite," according to a separate letter sent by three House Democrats to acting administrator Janet Petro, Bloomberg reports."T​​he agency has allowed unvetted and untrained individuals to obtain unprecedented access, seemingly in defiance of standard agency protocols and simple common sense," the letter reads. "If the agency has vetted these DOGE-associated persons for their questionable professional histories or apparent conflicts-of-interest, we are not aware of it."They're also concerned that he could also give SpaceX preferential treatment. Musk's space company has received over $15 billion in funding from the space agency over the years and has secured another half a billion dollars since Trump was inaugurated, per Axios."At NASA, where Mr. Musk has both benefited from significant contracts and has the potential to receive vast amounts of new business, his defiance of recusal laws and control of operations directly benefit his businesses," Frost and Connolly wrote in their letter to Lan. "The known conflicts of interest presented by this arrangement are illegal and must be addressed immediately."The topic of conflict of interest at NASA is especially pertinent as billionaire fighter jet pilot-turned-SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman is expected to attend a confirmation hearing today and is widely expected to be sworn in as the agency's next administrator.Isaacman has traveled to space twice during two all-private missions involving SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsules and has never worked for NASA.In a March 12 letter to Lan, Isaacman argued that in the "event that an actual or potential conflict of interest arises during my appointment, I will consult with an agency ethics official and take the measures necessary to resolve the conflict, such as recusal from the particular matter or divestiture of an asset."Whether those assurances will be enough for lawmakers remains to be seen. Given Isaacman's own considerable conflict of interest, his hearing today will likely draw plenty of probing questions from lawmakers worried about an impending SpaceX takeover of NASA.Share This Article

Apr 09, 2025Ravie LakshmananArtificial Intelligence / Web Security Lovable, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) powered platform that allows for creating full-stack web applications using text-based prompts, has been found to be the most susceptible to jailbreak attacks, allowing novice and aspiring cybercrooks to set up lookalike credential harvesting pages. "As a purpose-built tool for creating and deploying web apps, its capabilities line up perfectly with every scammer's wishlist," Guardio Labs' Nati Tal said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "From pixel-perfect scam pages to live hosting, evasion techniques, and even admin dashboards to track stolen data -- Lovable didn't just participate, it performed. No guardrails, no hesitation." The technique has been codenamed VibeScamming – a play on the term vibe coding, which refers to an AI-dependent programming technique to produce software by describing the problem statement in a few sentences as a prompt to a large language model (LLM) tuned for coding. The abuse of LLMs and AI chatbots for malicious purposes is not a new phenomenon. In recent weeks, research has shown how threat actors are abusing popular tools like OpenAI ChatGPT and Google Gemini to assist with malware development, research, and content creation. What's more, LLMs like DeepSeek have also been found susceptible to prompt attacks and jailbreaking techniques like Bad Likert Judge, Crescendo, and Deceptive Delight that allow the models to bypass safety and ethical guardrails and generate other prohibited content. This includes creating phishing emails, keylogger and ransomware samples, albeit with additional prompting and debugging. In a report published last month, Broadcom-owned Symantec revealed how OpenAI's Operator, an AI agent that can carry out web-based actions on behalf of the user, could be weaponized to automate the whole process of finding email addresses of specific people, creating PowerShell scripts that can gather system information, stashing them in Google Drive, and drafting and sending phishing emails to those individuals and trick them into executing the script. The rising popularity of AI tools also means that they could significantly reduce the barriers to entry for attackers, enabling them to harness their coding capabilities to craft functional malware with little-to-no technical expertise of their own A case in example is a new jailbreaking approach dubbed Immersive World that makes it possible to create an information stealer capable of harvesting credentials and other sensitive data stored in a Google Chrome browser. The technique "uses narrative engineering to bypass LLM security controls" by creating a detailed fictional world and assigning roles with specific rules so as to get around the restricted operations. Guardio Labs' latest analysis takes a step further, uncovering that platforms like Lovable and Anthropic Claude, to a lesser extent, could be weaponized to generate complete scam campaigns, complete with SMS text message templates, Twilio-based SMS delivery of the fake links, content obfuscation, defense evasion, and Telegram integration. VibeScamming begins with a direct prompt asking the AI tool to automate each step of the attack cycle, assessing its initial response, and then adopting a multi-prompt approach to gently steer the LLM model to generate the intended malicious response. Called "level up," this phase involves enhancing the phishing page, refining delivery methods, and increasing the legitimacy of the scam. Lovable, per Guardio, has been found to not only produce a convincing looking login page mimicking the real Microsoft sign-in page, but also auto-deploys the page on a URL hosted on its own subdomain ("i.e., *.lovable.app") and redirects to office[.]com after credential theft. On top of that, both Claude and Lovable appear to comply with prompts seeking help to avoid the scam pages from being flagged by security solutions, as well as exfiltrate the stolen credentials to external services like Firebase, RequestBin, and JSONBin, or private Telegram channel. "What's more alarming is not just the graphical similarity but also the user experience," Tal said. "It mimics the real thing so well that it's arguably smoother than the actual Microsoft login flow. This demonstrates the raw power of task-focused AI agents and how, without strict hardening, they can unknowingly become tools for abuse." "Not only did it generate the scampage with full credential storage, but it also gifted us a fully functional admin dashboard to review all captured data – credentials, IP addresses, timestamps, and full plaintext passwords." In conjunction with the findings, Guardio has also released the first version of what's called the VibeScamming Benchmark to put the generative AI models through the wringer and test their resilience against potential abuse in phishing workflows. While ChaGPT scored an 8 out of 10, Claude scored 4.3, and Lovable scored 1.8, indicating high exploitability. "ChatGPT, while arguably the most advanced general-purpose model, also turned out to be the most cautious one," Tal said. "Claude, by contrast, started with solid pushback but proved easily persuadable. Once prompted with 'ethical' or 'security research' framing, it offered surprisingly robust guidance." Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. 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